I was laying in bed thinking about Robert Kagan making military policy and was so enraged, I got up. But before I launch into my rant about him, I was thinking about breakfast. My landlord gave me a new stove, the fucker is huge, and I ordered some crossaints from Fresh Direct.

I've been shaking a cold and just didn't want to deal with the local supermarket, or a trip to Fairway.

This is the recipe recommended by Richard Olney and other French food afficionatos.

Btw, the way I learned the technique was James Peterson's "Glorious French Food" -- for that one recipe I was eternally grateful.

A short-hand approach would run something like:

Beat some very fresh, high-quality eggs loosely with a fork. Slide them into the top part of a double boiler (or a pan atop a pot) which is set above -- but not touching -- an inch or two of barely simmering water. Begin whisking immediately, breaking up the lumps that form. When the eggs have developed a thick, cottage-cheese-like texture, add slivers of cold unsalted butter (a few tablespoons is not unreasonable; the point is to slow the cooking down and capture bits of butter in the egg emulsion -- slow and steady wins the race), continue mixing until the eggs are about 80-90% cooked, remove from stove and continue mixing to nearly finish cooking them off the heat, and serve over hot buttered or dry toast (I prefer dry), garnished with good salt and garnishes of your choice. Make sure the plate is not cold (but hot would not been good either). If you find the cooking going too fast, you can also use some cold heavy cream to slow things down. Takes 20-30 minutes

But who actually fixes eggs like this? I don't own a copper pot, like Olney. What I tend to do is use butter and a little cheese to get that soft texture.